All posts for the month November, 2014

The Cunningham family became homeowners through the #NACAPurchase Program. Image Courtesy of the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA).

Merriam-Webster’s defines the word predatory as, “wrongly harming or using others for pleasure or profit;”and lending is defined an act “to give for temporary use on condition that the same or its equivalent will be returned.” Conversly, Investopedia defines predatory lending as, “unscrupulous actions carried out by a lender to entice, induce and/or assist a borrower in taking a mortgage that carries high fees, a high interest rate, strips the borrower of equity, or places the borrower in a lower credit rated loan to the benefit of the lender.”(more…)

Chicago is well-known for more than just being a beautiful city. Like many other large cities, Chicago has a major problem with juvenile delinquency. Every day more and more organizations, both new and old, work to change the system that is more punitive, than rehabilitative to the youth it serves.

One of the up and coming initiatives for addressing criminal behavior among young people is Restorative Justice. Instead of looking at the crime as an offense against the state and punitively throwing the offender into jail, the system would look at the crime at the victim/offender/community level. There would be a dialogue between the victim, the offender, and the community affected that would require the offender to take responsibility for the harm caused. Some of the faces of this would be an apology or community service depending on the nature of the crime.(more…)

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires that cities, counties and states with histories of discriminatory voting laws seek federal permission before changing their election rules. Lately, the Supreme Court has made it easier for jurisdictions with troubled pasts to enact restrictive voting laws.

A total of 34 states have passed laws requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls. But with more than 11% of American citizens (over 21 million Americans) currently lacking these photo IDs, it’s clear that such laws could have a disastrous effect.

If left to stand, these laws could make it harder for key Democratic groups, including people of color, to get to the polls this fall. It is essential that all voices are heard. Here’s a rundown of the five most restrictive and least restrictive states (in terms of Voter ID laws).

From left to right: Shannon, Justyn, Rinku Sen (leader of Race Forward and Publisher of Colorlines) and Lynda

Last week, Progressive Pupil attended Race Forward‘s Facing Race Conferencein Dallas, TX. Held over three days from Thursday November 13th – Saturday, November 15th, this year’s event was a unique convening that brought together activists, community organizers, educators, and allies working toward social and racial justice.(more…)

When I first heard the phrase “Moral Monday” on Twitter (#MoralMonday), I assumed it was a social media phenomenon like Throwback Thursday (#tbt), Friday Follow (#ff), or Caturday (#caturday). Instead, this catchy phrase has a much deeper and just purpose. It is a revival of 1960s Civil Rights Era activism and the old-school-style protests that took place in the South. This movement is pushing back on conservative policy changes that began in North Carolina in the early 2010’s that directly harm many already marginalized communities in the state.(more…)

INCITE! is a national activist organization of radical feminists of color working to leverage grassroots organizing onto a national and transnational platform. INCITE! specifically focuses on issues of police violence, reproductive justice, and media justice

It’s important to understand what is identified as violence. It’s also important to address violence of oppression and how that oppression intersects in the lives of women of color. INCITE! is taking action by organizing conferences designed to build connections and develop thinking, mobilizing people around national projects, and engaging the media to help shape ideas about ending violence.

I have learned to feel empowered by rootlessness. Growing up first generation, far away from either of my parents’ homelands or families, I had trouble feeling that I belonged anywhere. In fact, I spent all of my time mimicking the people around me at any given moment, desperate for a singular, uncomplicated identity. America was my reality—but it was not my history. My histories were old and imbedded in the Mediterranean, the Eastern Sahara.

The most important thing is that the indigenous people are not vindictive by nature. We are not here to oppress anybody – but to join together and build Bolivia, with justice and equality.
-Evo Morales, President of Bolivia

We know there are communities of indigenous peoples all around the world: from the Tibetans in China and the Huli people from Papua New Guinea, to the Nenets in Russia. But let’s not go that far. Here in America –and not only in the States, but in the entire continent– we have a variety of indigenous communities all around us. This is a continent rich in cultural diversity, from the Mayan civilization in southern Mexico and northern Central America, to the Quechua people in Peru and the Innu people in Canada.(more…)

Way back in 2006, when I was a plump faced freshman at Johns Hopkins, I got my first taste of proper American racism. That year the big Halloween party was called “Halloween in the Hood.” The ladies were encouraged to come dressed as “hoodrats, skig skags, or scallywhops” and one too many guys tried to be your dark skin friend that looks like Michael Jackson. Our Black Student Union protested for weeks but not much had changed. Eight years later, the darling of the independent film scene is a small film about Black kids at a prestigious, predominantly White, institution dealing with a racist Halloween party called “Dear White People.” Somebody must have dropped the top on their whip, because I feel some type of way.

Today, too few of us will make our voices heard at ballot boxes throughout the United States. The representatives chosen to speak and decide for us at local, state and national levels in these mid-term elections will have a great deal of power over many of the things that matter to us most: such as how our children are educated, whether we feel safe with police officers in the street, the conditions in which we work, and how much we are compensated for our work. Voting is an important way we can use our power, but too many of us have been falsely convinced that we do not have any power at all. (Click here to find out about the voter identification laws in your state).